The workpiece is, for example, a semiconductor disk, i.e. a “wafer”. Thus very thin semiconductor disks are to be processed or they are to be produced from thicker semiconductor disks. When SOI technology (silicon on insulator) is used, the thickness of the thinned semiconductor disk or of another substrate, e.g. made of glass or ceramic, is, for example, less than 20 μm (micrometers).
The solid used is, for example, an adhesive or wax. The workpiece and work carrier are thus held together on account of the adhesion forces between the solid and the workpiece or the work carrier and on account of the cohesion forces in the solid.
A problem with such methods is, for example, the uniform application of the solid, in particular having a planar surface, to which the workpiece can then be applied so as to lie in one plane. But problems, e.g. workpiece fractures, also occur during the separation of the workpiece from the work carrier. If the workpiece is to be released especially carefully, the time required for the separation is considerably prolonged as a rule.